Image copyrightNewcastle Society of AntiquariesImage caption
The oldest coin, a silver groat, was minted in the late 1420s or early 1430s

A hoard of Tudor coins unearthed in Northumberland has gone on show after a fundraising campaign to buy them met its target.

In 2003 a jug was found on Lindisfarne but as it was packed earth the 17 coins inside remained concealed until 2011.

After being declared as treasure, Newcastle's Society of Antiquaries campaigned to keep them in the region.

With £30,900 raised, they have gone on permanent display at Newcastle's Great North Museum: Hancock.

The jug was found by builder Richard Mason while he was renovating a house.

'Tremendous'

Lindsay Allason-Jones, keeper of the collections for the society, said: "For this hoard to join the society's collection is tremendous.

"That the public generously supported us to keep it in the North East region makes it even more special."

The campaign was awarded £13,000 from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Headley Museums Archaeological Acquisitions Scheme gave a further £13,000 towards the purchase.

Almost £5,000 then came from donations by members of the public.

The 10 gold and seven silver coins span the reign of six English sovereigns and several European states with one - a gold scudo of Pope Clement VII, who refused to annul the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon in the 1520s - thought to be worth about £30,000 alone.

The oldest coin is a silver groat of King Henry VI, minted in the late 1420s or early 1430s, and the latest is a silver sixpence from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, minted in London in 1562.

They are on show alongside a number of silver coins found at the same site in the 1960s.